Third party verification system

ABSTRACT

A verification system for obtaining, storing, and providing access to information regarding a commitment or position of an individual or entity. In one embodiment, the verification system comprises an interactive voice response system or computer program interface capable of obtaining and recording information regarding any of a number of commitments from an individual or entity, such as a commitment to change long distance telephone service providers. The verification system comprises a voice response unit configured to query pertinent information from an individual and record the responses to the queries in a digital format. Upon completion of a successful session, the voice response unit forwards the recorded responses confirming consent, to a storage device, such as a computer server. As desired, the recorded responses can be retrieved from the server by telephone or computer for verification of the consent, commitment, or position of the individual or entity.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/043,868, filed on 1 Nov. 2001 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,990,454; which in turn is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/437,591 filed on Nov. 9, 1999, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,401,066. The applicant incorporates each of these parent applications herein in their entireties by this reference, and claims the benefit of the filing dates of these applications to the fullest extent permitted by 35 U.S.C. § 120.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to remote data storage and retrieval systems, and in particular to a system for recording and storing a response or request, such as a voice response.

2. Background

Due to advances in technology and a changing political and economic environment, many industries are being freed from the constraints of government regulation and controlled monopolies. In particular, utilities such as long distance telephone service, cable, and, most recently, electric utilities, are now entering a free-market environment. This market trend allows companies providing utility services to compete for customers.

Out of competition and the desire for increased profits, companies desiring greater market share are now calling potential customers in an effort to convince or entice these potential customers to switch service providers. For example, a telephone long-distance service provider may call individuals to entice them to switch companies for their long distance service. To entice the potential customer to change service providers, the service provider often offers discounted service, or rebates for changing service. Switching long distance service providers simply involves informing the local service carrier of the appropriate long distance service provider to allocate the long distance trunk usage to, and changing the appropriate billing to reflect the new service provider. Often the long distance service provider seeking new customers will waive any customer fees usually charged in hopes of reaping increased profits in the future.

In the past, if the potential customer agreed to change long distance service providers, they would simply respond in the affirmative during the telephone call and the new long-distance service provider would independently call the local telephone service provider to effectuate the change. While this method worked well for a time, increased competition and entry into the market by unscrupulous businesses caused some long distance companies to enter into a practice known as slamming. In general, slamming comprises switching a customer's long distance service provider without the customer's prior authorization. A long distance carrier could ‘slam’ a customer by falsely reporting to the local telephone service provider that the customer had authorized the change. The local service provider would change the service as instructed and the customer, without any knowledge, would receive service from this new long distance service provider. The customer must then pay the new rate, which is often higher, to the new long distance service provider, or undertake the process of changing back to their old service provider, often incurring a fee. The customer, having been slammed, had no way to prove they had not ordered the change.

While this example is specific to the long distance telephone industry, other businesses are susceptible to similar practices. For example, the potential exists for slamming in industries such as cable television, electricity, and even local telephone service.

In response to the widespread practice of slamming, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has adopted a requirement that, before a customer is switched to a new long distance service provider, third party verification must be obtained. Third party verification comprises verification by an entity independent from the long distance service provider.

Prior art methods of third party verification, while helpful to discourage slamming, suffers from several drawbacks. First, the process of third party verification is generally performed by independent live operators. Because the independent, third party live operators must be available when the calls are made to potential customers, the cost associated with advertising a new long distance service provider to a customer is increased because the additional labor costs associated with the additional live third party verification operators. This is especially true when numerous calls are simultaneously being made, because numerous third party verifiers must be available to provide third party verification. Another disadvantage of using live operators is that the potential for fraud still exists in that only the word of the third party verifier supports the long distance service providers.

Of course, this is but one exemplary area where some form of independent verification would be helpful. Individuals today depend on telephones, computers, and the Internet to conduct business that was previously conducted in person. For example, in the past, a purchaser of a personal property item would have physically traveled to the store to purchase that item, or met with the service provider to purchase a service. While the item may have been obtained on credit, the individual generally had to sign some form of credit agreement to thereby provide verification to the merchant of an obligation to pay the debit. The signature also verified receipt of the goods by the customer.

Due to the inconvenience of traveling to a merchant and the time constraints on individuals, the purchase of goods and/or services by telephone or Internet is becoming a more popular and widely adopted method of obtaining goods and/or services. The goods are shipped directly to the customer and billed most often to a credit card. In the case of a service, the service is performed and the customer subsequently billed.

While this method of conducting business is convenient, it exposes the merchant or service provider to fraud. For example, after receiving the goods or service, certain dishonest customers have been known to deny that they ordered the goods or services. Conversely, certain dishonest merchants have been known to deliver unwanted goods or perform unwanted services, and then subsequently bill for these unwanted goods and/or services, or even bill for services not performed. Because transactions are often performed via telephone or Internet, there is no way to verify that the customer actually ordered the goods or services. Hence, these types of transactions are subject to fraud.

Although the previously discussed examples involve the sale or goods or services, other situations beyond those of a commercial transaction may arise where some form of third party verification system may be beneficial. For example, various types of polling or petition drives could benefit from the convenience of being conducted by telephone or computer. However, previous attempts at such actions by telephone lacked reliability because of a lack of third party verification. Likewise, previous attempts were undesirably expensive because of the cost associated with live third party verification operators.

As discussed above, previous attempts at verifying an individual's decision, such as consent to purchase goods or services, were inadequate for numerous reasons. One such inadequacy is that the obtained verification could not be independently confirmed beyond that of the third party verifier. Another reason previous attempts of verification were inadequate is because previous attempts, relying on live operators or verifiers, were prohibitively expensive. Yet another drawback of previous attempts involves the perpetration of fraud in the verification system because of collusion between the third party and the party hiring or controlling the third party.

Prior art attempts to provide some form of automated third party verification have several shortcomings. For example, some devices simply record the conversation with a potential customer or party on an analog tape. However, this type of system lacks means to retrieve the recording in a quick and convenient manner.

For the above-mentioned reasons, a method is needed for providing rapid and inexpensive verification of a decision made by an individual located remote from the party requiring verification. It is preferred that the method and apparatus of verification have means for evidencing the agreement or consent of the party to others at a later time. Hence, the verification is preferably reproducible so that the verification can be provided to another at a later time.

Therefore, a need still exists for an automated third party verification system having the features and advantages described herein.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the purpose of the invention as broadly described herein, there is provided a verification system for use in a computer environment to provide independent third party verification in the form of audio or video files. Use of the verification system includes, but is not limited to, instances when an independent and verifiable record of consent or of a particular response to a question or series of questions is desired. In various situations, the consent or response may obligate a person financially or in some other manner.

In one embodiment, the verification system described herein comprises a PSTN-compatible voice response unit configured to automatically receive a call. The voice response unit presents one or more voice scripts to the call and digitally records spoken answers provided by the individual participating in the call. The recorded answers are cataloged by a record number in a database and digitally stored on a computer storage device, such as a hard disk drive.

If the response of the person is ever called into question, the verification system includes means for the response to be retrieved from storage and restored to audio format. Various methods and apparatus may be adopted to perform the retrieval process. In one embodiment, the retrieval process occurs via telephone whereby an authorized user (client) calls the verification system and gains access to the system with passwords or passnumbers. Next, the client enters a record number identifier to retrieve the proper audio file record from the verification system storage device. Upon retrieval of the record, the voice response unit converts the file to an audio format for the client.

In another embodiment, the retrieval process occurs via a computer network such as the Internet. In such an embodiment, the verification system includes a computer network interface, such as an Internet server, to facilitate access to the verification system by a client or other authorized third party via the Internet. To retrieve the verification data, a client of the third party verification system accesses the verification system Internet server via the Internet and enters identification and password information to gain access to the record data. Next, the client identifies a record and instructs the verification system to retrieve the record. The verification system displays record information such as name and social security number. If the verification system retrieved the proper record, the client downloads the audio or video verification file to their client computer over the Internet. The client may then play the audio or video file, and may optionally patch in or connect other parties during the play back to provide the verification recording to other parties.

In one alternative embodiment, speech pattern recognition is utilized to provide further evidence of the recorded individual's statements. In an embodiment including speech pattern recognition or voice fingerprint, the system performs signal processing on two or more speech samples to compare the speech patterns to identify if the same individual created both samples or audio recordings. In various configurations, the speech pattern recognition may be adopted for use in addition to or instead of the speech recording, storage and retrieval described above.

A detailed description of the present invention is provided below in conjunction with FIGS. 1–9.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of the participants in a third party verification process.

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of a third party verification system.

FIG. 3 illustrates a sample record of the third party verification system.

FIG. 4 illustrates an operational flow diagram of an example process for obtaining third party verification via a telephone connection.

FIG. 5 illustrates a detailed operational flow diagram of an example process for obtaining third party verification via a telephone connection.

FIG. 6 illustrates an operational flow diagram of an example process when obtaining third party verification via a computer connection.

FIG. 7 illustrates an operational flow diagram of an example general process for retrieving third party verification via a telephone connection.

FIG. 8 illustrates an operational flow diagram of an example process for retrieving third party verification via a computer connection.

FIG. 9 illustrates a detailed operational flow diagram of an example process for retrieving third party verification via a computer connection.

FIGS. 10A and 10B illustrate an operational flow diagram of an example process for third party verification including speech pattern recognition.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 1. Overview of the Invention

In general, the present invention comprises a method and apparatus for obtaining, recording, storing, and retrieving third party verification of a statement or intent of an individual or entity. In one embodiment, the system of the present invention comprises a voice response unit capable of automatically receiving a call and presenting a number of questions to one or more individuals on the opposing end(s) of the line. The VRU records the responses to the questions in a digital format and subsequently stores and catalogs the responses by reference number on a server or other mass storage device. Stored responses provide verification of the answers to questions posed by the voice response unit.

Individuals having access may retrieve the stored verifications from the server via a telephone retrieval system or a computer interface, such as the Internet. Stored responses confirm consent and thereby confirm and bind the recorded party to their statements.

2. Example Environment

Although other applications are possible, one example environment in which the subject invention can be implemented is a third party verification system as mandated by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) anti-slamming provisions. In the example environment described herein, the present invention serves as a third party verification system for a long distance telephone service provider (the client) desiring to contact potential customers to gain market share. In general, long distance service providers desiring to increase market share call potential customers in hopes of convincing them to leave their existing long distance company. Upon confirming that the potential customer is interested in changing long distance companies, the customer is connected to the third party verification system so that the third party verification system described herein may obtain and permanently record the customer's verbal consent to the switch.

Next, the system stores the recorded vocal affirmation of the customer's desire to change long distance telephone service providers. The system stores the recording in digital form on a computer server so that it may be readily retrieved at a later date to thereby provide confirmation that the change in long distance service providers was indeed authorized.

To retrieve the customer's recorded consent, an authorized party, such as the client, can retrieve or download the data via telephone or a customized Internet web server configured to access the voice recording.

Of course, this is but one possible environment of the present invention. Other possible environments that would benefit from the advantages of the present invention include, but are not limited to, other non-regulated or semi-regulated utilities such as electric utilities, cable utilities, cellular service providers, Internet service providers and the like. Other industries that may likewise benefit include any industry where products or services or offered or sold via telephone or computer such that some form of recorded statement, such as agreement to provide remuneration in exchange for a product or service, would benefit from the present invention. Other envisioned areas of use include polling, petition drives, telephone stock trading, voting, collection agencies, environments where confirmation is legally required, travel agents or airlines booking travel itineraries and tickets, mortgage brokers, banks, automotive or other vehicle service departments, or any other entity requiring some form of verification.

3. First Embodiment

Although the present invention may be configured for use in numerous different fields, for purposes of understanding, the present invention is described in a configuration of a third party verification system as used by long distance telephone service providers attempting to increase market share by direct calling telesales.

FIG. 1 illustrates the relationship between a long distance telephone service provider (L.D.T.S.P.) 110, a potential customer 120, and the third party verification system 130. In this embodiment, the L.D.T.S.P. 110 is the client. The client is defined herein as the party, individual, or entity that requires third party verification and is responsible for initiating the verification recording process. In other embodiments, the client may include but is not limited to, a pollster, a magazine subscription seller, seller, utility, order taker or other party described above desiring some form of verification of a transaction, statement or agreement at a later data.

It is contemplated that, in one embodiment, the L.D.T.S.P. 110 performs telesales at a location remote from the potential customer 120 and from the third party verification system 130. The L.D.T.S.P. 110 would thus contact potential customers 120 by telephone, and upon obtaining customer consent to change long distance company, the L.D.T.S.P. contacts the third party verification system 130. Eventually, the customer is connected to the third party verification system so that consent to the change in telephone service can be permanently recorded for later verification. Hence, communication occurs between each of the three entities 110, 120, 130.

After obtaining verifiable consent to change long distance service providers, another verification requesting entity 140 or the customer 120 may request verification of the consent to change long distance companies. Accordingly, communication between the L.D.T.S.P. 110 and the third party verification system 130 occurs. In an alternative embodiment, the verification requesting entity 140 may directly contact the third party verification system 130.

In an alternative arrangement, an agent (not shown) performs telesales on behalf of the L.D.T.S.P. 110, thereby allowing the agent and the third party verification system 130 to be co-located.

FIG. 2 illustrates one example configuration of the third party verification system of the subject invention. As shown, a network 210 forms a center hub to facilitate communication between one or more servers 212, 214, 216, one or more voice response units (VRU) 218, 220, 222, one or more Internet servers 230, and various other support hardware (not shown). If remote from the third party verification system, the L.D.T.S.P. 110 connects via a high capacity dedicated line 232 to a voice response unit of the third party verification system. Alternatively, the L.D.T.S.P. 110 may connect via a standard telephone communication line 234 to the PSTN 240, the PSTN in turn connecting to the voice response unit 218.

Each voice response unit 218 provides automated answering, voice response and dual tone multi-frequency (DTMF) monitoring of incoming calls. The voice response unit 218 of the subject invention comprises a PENTIUM®-based motherboard having various interfaces and connectors. In one embodiment, the voice response unit comprises a housing containing a hard disk drive, a T1 card, a network (LAN) card and PSTN interface card, all of which operate, in once example embodiment, under a UNIX® operating system. Each voice response unit 218, configured in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, includes additional software configured to transfer data to and from the voice print servers. In one embodiment, this software is written in the C programming language.

In one embodiment, the interface card comprises a DIALOGIC® card. The DIALOGIC® card interfaces with the T1 card to provide the functionality of voice synthesis and voice recording. The DIALOGIC® card also includes means to store the digitized voice files before pushing the voice files to a voice print server. Dialogic Corporation is located in North America at Parsippany, N.J.

In one embodiment, the voice response unit 218 includes a dual T1 access configuration, thereby providing access for 48 incoming lines, 47 of which are voice channels and one of which is a data channel. The data channel in conjunction with the T1 card carries and properly assigns ANI data to each of the 47 voice channels. In the embodiment described herein, each voice response unit 218 is shared among various clients 110 to thereby more fully utilize the resources of the third party verification system, although it is contemplated that in other embodiments each voice response unit is dedicated to a particular entity. In one example, each client 110 in the form of a given L.D.T.S.P. is preferably provided a different access number to distinguish records from those of other L.D.T.S.Ps.

Each of the one or more voice response units 218 connects to the network. The network 210 may comprise any one of many various configurations of networks available for use at the present time, such as token ring, Ethernet, or other network that may be developed in the future. The network 210 provides data routing services to hardware connected thereto. In one embodiment, the network 210 comprises a local area network.

Connecting to the network 210 are various servers 212–216. At least one server 212 is configured as a voice print server to store data records including digitized voice recordings evidencing verification or consent such as to a change in long distance service provider. Servers 212 having large storage capacity are known by those of ordinary skill in the art and accordingly are not discussed in great detail herein. In one embodiment, the servers 212–216 may comprise a PENTIUM®-based processing device having an array of large capacity hard disk drive storage devices. In one embodiment, the server 212 operates under the control of a LINUX® operating system, although in other embodiments, other operating systems may be adopted.

Each server 212 preferably includes some form of data base software to catalogue and manage each of the plurality of verification voice print records. One SQL-type data base software package well suited to this particular task is available from Informix of Menlo Park, Calif. However, other data base programs such as DBZ® and ORACLE® may also be configured to achieve the function of the present invention.

Also included in server 212 are associated disk drive array controllers, network cards, I/O cards and the like. As these types of devices are known to those of ordinary skill in the art, their construction and operation is not discussed in detail herein.

One or more Internet servers 230 also connect to the network 210. The Internet server 230 hosts software responsible for operation of the web site capable of providing access, via the network 210, to the voice print server 212 for record retrieval. Due to the wide spread expansion of the Internet 240, Internet servers are known by those of ordinary skill in the art. In one embodiment, the Internet server 230 comprises a PENTIUM®-based computer network server utilizing a WINDOWS NT®-based operating system or a LINUX® operating system. APACHE® web software hosts the third party verification system web page to thereby allow World Wide Web access to the recorded verification information.

The Internet server 230 connects to the Internet 240 and the PSTN 244 to facilitate access by a remote user, such as a L.D.T.S.P. 110 via the Internet or PSTN.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary sample record 300 as might be recorded by a voice response unit 218 and stored on a voice print server 212 operating in accordance with the subject invention. Preferably each record 300 is arranged as a number of fields of information, as is common in data base records. As shown, the example record 300 comprises a record number field 302 designed to identify the record to the exclusion of other records. Also included is a name field 304, address field 306, and a field for other personal information, such as a social security number field 308, and birth date field 310. The personal information fields are often used for security purposes to verify the identity of the individual. It is anticipated that the textual information contained in fields 302–310 is displayed on a computer screen or other form of display when the record is remotely accessed at a later time. Information displayed in fields 302–310 is obtained and entered by the L.D.T.S.P. caller and uploaded to the third party verification system, or may be obtained by the third party verification system in non-verbal form.

The example record also includes a digitized voice recording field 312. The voice recording field 312 contains the digitized voice recordings of the individual's responses to questions posed by the voice response unit. Examples of the types of question that are presented by the voice response unit 218 include, but are not limited to, the individual's name, address, telephone number, social security number, birth date, and the responses to various questions posed by the voice response unit. The voice response unit 218 may of course be programmed with any of a number of application-specific questions. In the example embodiment described herein, the questions posed are directed to gain the consent from the customer, or individual connected to the voice response unit, to change long distance telephone service provider.

Additional storage fields 314 are optionally included in the record to provide additional flexibility to record additional information.

In other embodiments, it is contemplated that the voice or computer text script could be adapted to record various other types of data including, but not limited to, voting, polling, purchasing, changing service providers, club membership, subscription purchasing, appointment scheduling, or other form of verification mentioned above.

Operation

In operation, the present invention may be configured to function with data recording and retrieval interfaces via a telephone or computer. For purposes of brevity, only the Internet access and telephone access methods are discussed in detail herein. However, it is contemplated that other means of recording and accessing the data may be used to achieve the operation of the present invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates an operational flow diagram of one exemplary method of operation of the present invention. The operation shown, customized for obtaining consent from a potential customer, is utilized to obtain consent with third party verification from the potential customer. At a step 400, the operation establishes communication with a potential customer. Most often, this is performed via a direct telephone connection over the PSTN, although in other embodiments, the communication link may exist over another medium.

Next, at a step 402, the operation attempts to obtain consent from the potential customer. Most often, step 402 is achieved via personal voice communication by a live operator who is able to expressing the advantages of the proposed good or service, such as the new long distance carrier service, and interact with the potential customer.

While the personal and interactive communication from live operator contact often proves most productive, the process may also be initiated by a computerized and automated voice response unit that attempts to obtain third party verification prior to communication from a live operator. Causing the voice response unit to initiate the call and obtain initial confirmation from the potential customer reduces the number of calls with which the live operator must interface, thereby reducing the number of live operators and the cost of operation. Initial screening may be undertaken by recognizing DTMF tones provided by the potential customers in response to queries from the voice response unit.

Upon obtaining consent or other particular response, the operator initiates a communication link to a third party verification system. This occurs at a step 404.

Next, the operation branches to different routines depending on whether the operation will be a “blind transfer” or a “conference and transfer” type handoff. The left-hand branch of FIG. 4 details a blind transfer, while the right-hand branch of this Figure details a conference and transfer.

At a step 410, the operator disconnects from the line when the third party verification system connects, or a short time before or after the third party verification systems connects. This is known as a blind transfer. Next, at a step 412, the interactive voice response unit (I.V.R.U.) queries and records customer information including, but not limited to, personal information regarding the potential customer. This information is temporarily stored in digital or analog format on the voice response unit.

Next, at a step 414, the interactive voice response unit queries the potential customer regarding consent to change long distance service providers and records the response. At a step 416 the process is terminated.

Alternatively, the operator may initiate a conference and transfer handoff as shown in steps 420–426. At a step 420, the operator stays on the line. Next, at a step 422 the operator queries the customer for personal information and records this information. At a step 424, the operator queries the customer for consent to change service providers, or any other question for which recorded verification is desired. Upon obtaining consent, the call is terminated, step 426.

FIG. 5 illustrates a more detailed operational flow chart of one exemplary method of operation of third party verification recording by telephone. This operational flow chart provides a more detailed description of steps 404–416 shown in FIG. 4.

At a step 502, the voice response unit of the third party verification system accepts the call from an outside party or other system, such as an operator requiring third party verification. Next at a step 504, the voice response unit creates a record to store data from the potential customer. This record, as shown in FIG. 3, may include data as captured from DTMF tones, or recorded voice or video clips of responses.

Next, at a step 506, the operation monitors for proper access codes from the party requesting access to the third party verification system. Access codes or authorization code may be automatically sent from the requesting party telephone, or may be manually entered as DTMF tones.

Upon gaining access to the system, the operation progresses to a step 508, wherein the voice response unit transmits or plays voice scripts to the one or more parties connected to the voice response unit, including the potential customer. It is anticipated that at least part of the voice script from the voice response unit requests interaction by the potential customer. Hence, at a step 510, the voice response unit captures the responses to the voice scripts.

In one alternative embodiment, at least one question from the voice response unit is whether the potential customer consents to a particular statement, and requests the potential customer to press a particular telephone key to express a particular response to a question from the voice response unit. The response of the DTMF tone directs the third party verification system to one or more branches to facilitate various lines of potential questioning.

Next, at a step 512, the voice response unit stores the voice responses to the questions or requests posed by the voice response unit. These verbal responses are digitized and temporarily stored in the voice response unit.

Next, the operation progresses to a decision step 514, wherein the operation determines if the voice scripts are complete. If the voice scripts are not complete, the operation returns to a step 508, wherein additional voice scripts are transmitted.

If at step 514, the voice script process is complete, the operation progresses to a decision step 516. Here, the operation determines whether customer consent was provided or whether the desired response was obtained, such that the record electronically existing in the voice response unit should be written to the voice print server. If the desired response was not obtained, then the process terminates and the record information in the voice response unit is deleted. Alternatively, the record information in the voice response unit may be stored in a file containing failed or non-consenting records.

In one embodiment, a speech recognition algorithm is utilized to determine if the desired response was provided. In another embodiment, the voice response unit requests that, in addition to a verbal response, a button be pressed to generate a DTMF tone to confirm a response.

If the potential customer provided the desired consent, the operation progresses to a step 518, wherein the voice response unit concatenates the recording of the personal information and the verbal consent or verbal responses to one or more particular questions, such as a desire to change long distance service providers. Next, at a step 520, the voice response unit forwards the data record over the network to the voice print server for cataloging and storage.

At a step 522, a voice print server data base program logs the record into a data base storage system. Thereafter, the operation progresses to step 524, wherein the call is terminated.

In this manner the vocal consent of the person or entity is recorded and stored using the third party verification system such that it may be retrieved as a form of verification at a later time.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example method of operation for establishing third party verification via the Internet. Using this example method of operation, a potential customer may initiate the process of changing long distance service providers. At a step 600, the potential customer connects to the third party verification web site and may optionally obtain information regarding any of a number of different goods or services, and personally select one of the goods or services to purchase.

Next, at a step 602, the operation requests that the customers enter personal information about themselves. Next, at a step 604, the operation verifies the potential customer's personal data.

At a step 606, the operation requests the potential customer to enter and upload an identification password or ID number. The identification password identifies the person to provide a verification of identity. For example, the identification password or ID number may be sent to the individual via mail to a verified address, or may be provided by telephone at a verified telephone number. The ID number or password identifies the person for establishing verification. In an alternative embodiment, the third party verification web site detects the customers IP address based on ANI numbers or on packet switch data addresses.

Next, at a step 608, the operation establishes a voice link with the potential customer to facilitate recordation of a voice sample indicating consent to the change or query. For example, potential customer may consent to change long distance telephone service providers by transmitting a voice signal to the third party verification system. In an alternative embodiment, an audio file of the consent is recorded at the customer computer and uploaded to the third party verification system. In yet another embodiment, the verification is recorded in a video format by a camera connected to the potential customer's computer or to a general-use terminal for public use. This information is stored and at a step 612, the process terminates.

FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary method of operation for retrieving the verification by telephone. A need exists to retrieve the recorded and stored verbal verification so that, at a later time, verification of the consent or other response can be provided to a requesting party. The process of retrieving stored verification data comprises first calling the third party verification system, in this embodiment, by telephone at a step 700. Next, at a step 702, the calling party enters an identification number to gain access to the system. It is anticipated that the calling party be the client, such as a long distance service provider. In certain configurations, parties other than the client may be provided access to the data stored in the third party verification system. Other such authorized individuals include the FCC or competitors.

Next, at a step 704, the client enters a password as a second requirement to gain access to the system. In alternative embodiment, access occurs automatically based on an analysis of the caller ID information of the calling party.

Next, at a step 706, the calling party enters the record number for which the verification is being sought. In one embodiment, the record number is the telephone number for which long distance service is to be changed. In another embodiment, the record number is randomly assigned. In one embodiment, the requesting party generates DTMF tones to provide the record number. In another embodiment, speech recognition software operates in conjunction with vocal input by the user to provide the record number.

Next, at a step 708, the third party verification system provides record data to the requesting party so that the requesting party may verify that the system retrieved the proper record. In one embodiment, the record data provided at a step 708 includes name, address and some personal data such as birth date or mother's maiden name.

At a step 710, the requesting party connects a party to the third party verification system so that the party connected to the third party verification system may listen to the voice recording of the recorded consent, step 712.

In reference to FIG. 1, the potential customer, or an independent fourth party 140 such as the FCC or a prior provider of long distance service to the customer, may request access to the verification system. In such a case, the client would call the third party verification system and, upon obtaining the proper record, patch in or connect the FCC or prior service provider to the call so that they can listen to the recorded verification.

FIG. 8 illustrates an operational flow diagram of yet another embodiment of the present invention of one method of retrieving verification data over a computer network, such as the Internet. One general method of operation is shown in FIG. 8, wherein at a step 800, the client (as a user of the third party verification system) connects to a web site of the third party verification system. Once connected, the client enters their identification, step 802, and password, step 804. These steps control access to the web site.

Next, at a step 806, the operation queries the user for a record number or customer number. Upon uploading the record number to the web site server, the web site server accesses the voice printer server and downloads, to the client of the third party verification system, record information such as name, address and social security number of the customer identified by the record. This information is displayed on a screen at the client machine. This allows the client to verify that the verification system retrieved the proper record from the voice print server.

Next, at a step 810, the operation allows the client to download the verification. In one embodiment, the verification is a voice file of the customer that is downloaded to the client computer via the Internet. In another embodiment, the verification is a video file containing video footage of a customer that is downloaded to the client computer via the Internet. The verification provides independent and third party obtained confirmation that the customer consented or responded in a particular manner to previous questions.

Next, at a step 812, the client provides the verification to the customer or to any party requesting the verification. In one embodiment wherein the party seeking the verification is connected to the client via telephone, audio verification is played to the party over the telephone, or the audio file is transferred to the party, such as via e-mail. In another embodiment, video verification is provided to the party via e-mail or video telephone.

FIG. 9 illustrates in detail a method of operation of retrieving third party verification over a computer connection such as the Internet. In a step 900, the client uploads a welcome screen from the third party verification web server. Next, at a step 902, the third party verification web server obtains and verifies the user identification and password against an existing data base established by the operators of the third party verification system.

At a step 904, the web server obtains the record number from the client accessing the web site to gain the verification. In other embodiments, the web site is advantageously accessible by others besides the client, such as customers, government agencies, or competitors.

At a step 906, the web server accesses the voice print server to obtain the record data. Upon finding the data, the web server causes the operation to upload the data to the accessing party's computer and to display the record data on the display, step 908. Most often this data appears as a textual display. Transfer of data via a computer network, such as the Internet, is known by those of ordinary skill in the art and accordingly is not described in great detail herein.

If the displayed information indicates that the web server retrieved the desired record, then at a step 910, the web server would receive a request from the client for the verification file. The verification file may comprise data in an audio, video or other similar format that provides confirmation or verification of a response by a potential customer, individual, or entity. In one example embodiment, the verification file is an audio clip of a potential long distance telephone service customer consenting to change long distance service providers.

Next, at a step 912, the web server performs a conversion process on the voice print file to alter the file to a format that may be understood by a personal computer connected to the computer network. In one example embodiment, a DIALOGIC® voice capture card records the voice of the party as they respond to questions. The recorded responses are converted to a digital format and are stored in an ADPCM format (adaptive differential pulse code modulation). In general, the ADPCM format is not compatible with personal computers and hence it must be converted to a new format, such as .WAV format. This occurs at the step 912.

Next, at a step 914, the web server uploads the converted voice print file to the requesting party, such as for example, the client. The clients can then listen to the voice prints on their computers. Alternatively, the voice print can be patched into and played for a caller requesting verification or downloaded, such as via e-mail, to any desired party.

At decision step 916, the web server queries the client to download additional voice prints. If the client desires to access and download additional voice prints, the process returns to a step 904. In the client does not have any other voice prints to down load, then the operation progresses to a step 918, wherein the operation terminates, such as by automatically logging the client or user out of the web server.

4. Voice Fingerprint System

In an alternative embodiment, the above described third party verification system includes a voice fingerprint system configured to compare two or more samples of voice, and pattern match the voice samples to determine if the two or more samples were spoken by the same individual. An embodiment of the present invention having the voice fingerprint system includes a hardware interface within the voice response unit. The voice fingerprint system analyzes a voice sample, such as a person speaking their first and last name. This voice sample analysis is stored and may be appended to the record data, or may be stored separately. The voice sample is the voice fingerprint of the individual, whereby through the use of complex sampling and statistical analysis, a unique identification of the speaker's speech patterns, inflections, tone, and speech speed is created. This unique identification or fingerprint is then cataloged and stored with the particular record number.

If, at a later time, the consent or response of a person is questioned, or if verification beyond that provided by the process described in FIGS. 4–9 is required, the stored voice finger print may be compared to a second sample taken from the individual. For example, if individuals refute the recorded verification, then they can call and undergo a second sampling, such as by speaking their first and last names. The voice fingerprint system analyzes the second sample and compares the results of the second sample to the stored results of the first sample. If the sample results match, then further conformation or verification is achieved. An example voice verification system compatible with this embodiment of the present invention is available from Nuance Communications of Menlo Park, Calif.

FIGS. 10A and 10B illustrate an operational flow diagram of an example process of the present invention having speech pattern recognition. The process is now discussed. Referring to FIG. 10A, at a step 1002, the operation contacts a party to obtain consent or a particular response. Next, at a step 1004, a voice response unit proposes questions to the party. The operation, at step 1006, records the responses to the questions. A single or a plurality of response may be recorded.

Next, at a step 1008, the operation performs speech pattern analysis on the recorded responses. In one embodiment, the analysis occurs in real time when the party makes the response. In another embodiment, the analysis occurs after the voice response unit records the response.

At a step 1010, the operation catalogs and stores the responses on a storage media, such as a hard disk drive. Once stored, the recorded response and analysis may be retrieved at a later date.

FIG. 10B provides an operational flow diagram of an example method of retrieving the stored response and analysis, and performing the voice verification. This process involves the sampling of a second speech sample, so that the system can perform a second analysis and subsequently compare the two analysis to provide further verification of identity.

Turning now to FIG. 10 B, at a step 1020, a user or requestor of verification provides a data file identifier, often in the form of a numeric identifier, to the system. This identifies the data file, containing the response and analysis data, to the exclusion of other data files.

Next, at a step 1022, the operation retrieves the data file from storage device. At a step 1024, the operation plays the recording of the response for the requestor. The playing of the response is a first form of verification.

Next, at decision step 1026, the operation inquires whether additional verification is required. If at step 1026, the requestor desires further verification, the operation progresses to a step 1028, wherein the system obtains a second voice sample from the party in question. It is contemplated that at least one voice response from the party be provided that is the same word or words as contained in the first recorded response. The second voice sample is preferably obtained from the party with a known identity. Thus, the identity of the second voice sample provider is preferably independently verified by some form of identification.

Next, at a step 1030, the operation performs speech pattern analysis on the second speech sample. In one embodiment, this analysis is the same type of analysis as performed in step 1008 of FIG. 10A.

Next, at a step 1032, the operation compares the analysis results from the first speech pattern, which was retrieved from storage, with the analysis of the second speech sample. This comparison reveals if the same party spoke both the first speech sample and the second speech sample.

Next, at step 1034, the operation provides the results of the comparison to the requestor. These may be provided via a computer network, over an Internet connection, audibly over a telephone connection, or via any other means suitable for communicating results of the comparison. At a step 1036, the session is complete. Likewise, if at decision step 1026, the requester does not require additional verification, the operation progresses to step 1036, and the session is complete.

While particular embodiments and examples of the present invention have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only and not as limitations. Those of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that other various embodiments or configurations adopting the principles of the subject invention are possible. The breadth and scope of the present invention is defined by the following claims and their equivalents, and is not limited by the particular embodiments described herein. 

1. A third party verification system comprising: a plurality of voice response units connected to a computer network, at least one of said voice response units being in communication with at least a first party, said voice response unit configured to automatically elicit information in the form of a vocal response from the at least first party providing evidence of consent granted by the at least first party to enter into at least one transaction with at least a second party and to store said information; a plurality of voice print servers in communication with said voice response units via said computer network, at least one of said voice print servers being coupled to receive said information, said voice print server configured to catalog and store said information to provide a record for third party verification that the at least first party consented to enter into the at least one transaction with the at least one second party; and an Internet server configured to facilitate download of said information from said voice print server via an Internet by a party at a remote location.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one portion of said information comprises digitized voice recording of said individual.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein said information comprises consent to change long distance telephone service providers.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein said voice print server includes an array of data storage devices.
 5. The system of claim 1, further including means for speech recognition in said voice response unit.
 6. The system of claim 1, further including at least one speech pattern verification system included in or in communication with said at least one voice response unit, said speech pattern verification system configured to analyze the speech patterns of said information.
 7. The system of claim 6, wherein said at least one speech pattern verification system comprises software running on said at least one voice response unit.
 8. A computer system configured to record, store, retrieve and transmit data supporting third party verification, the computer system comprising: a plurality of voice response units coupled to a communications network, at least one of said voice response units connected to communicate with at least a first party over a public switched telephone network, said voice response unit configured to record responses from the at least first party to questions as audio files providing a record of consent given by the at least first party to enter into at least one transaction with at least a second party; a plurality of data storage devices connected to said voice response unit by the communications network, at least one of said data storage devices configured to permanently store data files that correspond to the responses and that provide a record for third party verification that the at least first party consented to enter into the at least one transaction with the at least second party; and a server configured to selectively retrieve said data files from said data storage device and upload said data file via a computer network.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein said computer network comprises the Internet.
 10. The system of claim 8, wherein said data file comprises video information.
 11. The system of claim 8, wherein said computer network comprises a local area network.
 12. The system of claim 8, further comprising an interface for connecting said data file when said data file is an audio file to a telephone call.
 13. A third party verification system comprising: means for recording a vocal response spoken by at least a first party in response to questions presented by an automated unit, the vocal response providing evidence of consent given by the at least first party to enter into at least one specific transaction with at least a specific second party; means for electronically storing and cataloging data representing said vocal response by the at least first party, said means for electronically storing and cataloging in communication with said means for recording to receive said data representing said vocal response to provide a record constituting third party verification that the at least first party consented to enter into the at least one specific transaction with the at least specific second party; means for identifying said data representing said electronically stored response; means for retrieving said data representing said electronically stored response, said means for retrieving in communication with said means for identifying; and means for presenting said retrieved electronically stored response in audible form to a listener upon demand.
 14. The system of claim 13, wherein said means for electronically storing and cataloging comprises a hard disk drive working in conjunction with a data base software program.
 15. The system of claim 13, wherein said means for presenting comprises a digital to analog converter, an amplifier, a speaker, and a hard disk drive working in conjunction with a data base software program.
 16. The system of claim 13, wherein said means for recording comprises a voice response unit.
 17. A system for verifying consent given by at least a first party to enter into at least one transaction with at least a second party, the system comprising: a plurality of voice response units, at least one of the voice response units being configured to interact with the at least first party and to capture a voice record of the at least first party expressing consent to enter into the at least one transaction with the at least second party; and a plurality of servers, at least one of the servers communicating with the at least one voice response unit to receive the voice record, being adapted to catalog and store the voice record to provide third party verification of consent expressed by the at least first party to enter into the at least one transaction with the at least second party, and being responsive to at least one query for the voice record to retrieve the voice record. 